Global Marketing Network Launches in Nigeria

Global Marketing Network Launches in Nigeria

GMN Nigeria held its official launch in Lagos 6th-10th October 2008 with a series of events. All in all around 300 guests and existing members attended over the three events. The launch was superbly organised by M2, Nigeria’s leading weekly marketing business publication and Global Marketing Network`s principal Partner. During the week the events were attended by around 300 corporate executives from blue-chip companies and top players of Nigeria’s leading integrated marketing communication firms.

Speaking at the launch event on 8th October were Darrell Kofkin, Chief Executive Global Marketing Network, Temi Abimbola, GMN’s Country Representative (Nigeria) and Associate Professor of Marketing at the Warwick Business School, University of Warwick, UK; Svend Hollensen, GMN Faculty and Professor of International Marketing at the University of Southern Denmark; Bola Akingbade, Chief Marketing officer, MTN Nigeria; as well as Olu Akanmu, Head Retail Banking, BankPHB. The event was chaired by Chief Akin Odunsi, chairman of Rosabel Leo Burnett,

Darrel Kofkin welcomed participants to the launch. He said his passion for Nigeria started during his lecturing days when he got in contact with Nigerian students who showed an extraordinary zeal for the profession. He praised marketing professionals in Nigeria saying that with the level of passion and enthusiasm he saw in the local practitioners, the profession has a very robust future.
In his presentation, Olu Akanmu of BankPHB delivered his paper titled: “15 Changing Contexts of Marketing”. Akanmu revealed some changing concepts in marketing, anchoring them on what he referred to as the three “Ds” – Democracy, Deregulation and Digital development.

Earlier in his address, Chief Akin Odunsi, who was the chairman of the occasion, stressed the fact that since nobody is an island, it is not enough thinking globally and acting locally. One should think globally and act globally, he stated. He enjoined marketers in Nigeria to seize the opportunities presented by GMN to be abreast of global standards.

The Global Marketing Strategy conference which took place at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos on Thursday, 9th October where Mr. Bola Akingbade, Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer, MTN Nigeria Communications was also formally revealed as the inaugural Honorary President of GMN Nigeria. He also presented a paper titled ‘Building Strong Local Brands Positioned for Global Dominance’. He was appointed as a result of his rich blend of marketing experience, both at home and abroad, across several industries, and his visible passion for strategic marketing which is in line with the vision of GMN. The Global Marketing Strategy Conference came after the formal launch of GMN in Nigeria which happened at the same venue the day before.

The lead speaker at the conference was Svend Hollensen, professor of international marketing at the University of Southern Denmark and world acclaimed marketing author who has written a number of books including the famous ‘Global Marketing: A Decision Oriented Approach’. Hollensen took the participants at the conference through a structured process for achieving globalization in today’s marketing for business.

Also at the conference was Dr Temi Abimbola, professor of marketing at the Warwick Business School, University of Warwick, UK and Country representative (Nigeria) for GMN. Temi, who presented a lecture on ‘Market, Marketing and Business Strategy’ connected the local scene with the global business environment with accessible case studies. In her opening remarks, She said that the global marketing scene was gradually changing at a pace which local practitioners cannot afford to ignore. She stated that with the whole world coming together as one communal globe, the traditional segmentation of markets into regions was no longer applicable. “Nigerian marketers should see themselves as part of the global marketing network. They should be able to buy into the knowledge base of the global network and impact their practice positively,” she said while adding that marketing was not just about theories but must be practice oriented.